Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/'Cake Wrecks,' 'This Is Why You're Fat' - New Food Humor Bookshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/#commentsFiled under: , ,

cake wrecks and this is why you're fat books

Photo: Sara Bonisteel

We've long been fans of Jen Yates' fantastically funny food blog, Cake Wrecks, so we were mighty pleased to find the she's finally assembled enough disastrous misspellings, ill-conceived concept cakes and just downright nasty icing snafus to fill a whole book, "Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong."

Also on bookshelves this month, Jessica Amason and Richard Blakeley's "This Is Why You're Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks."

See our favorites from both tomes after the jump.

Continue reading 'Cake Wrecks,' 'This Is Why You're Fat' - New Food Humor Books

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]]>bookscake wreckscake wrecks blogCakeWrecksCakeWrecksBlogfood humorFoodHumorjen yatesJenYatesthis is why youre fatThisIsWhyYoureFatSara Bonisteel2009-10-14T16:00:00+00:00How to Cook a Cow Head in New York Cityhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/27/how-to-cook-a-cow-head-in-new-york-city/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/27/how-to-cook-a-cow-head-in-new-york-city/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/27/how-to-cook-a-cow-head-in-new-york-city/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Cow head in banana leaves at Hill Country. Photo: Kat Kinsman
There comes a time in every girl's life -- when she's ripping open the long-braised skull of a short-lived calf in order to better wobble out its beer-marinated brain -- that she smiles contentedly and realizes she loves her life an awful lot. Then she goes for the eyes.

Well OK, not every girl's life -- but at least those of a troika of squeam-free dames including Hill Country's executive chef and cookbook author Elizabeth Karmel, Homesick Texan writer Lisa Fain and lucky, lucky me. And it all happened because of Twitter.

See a step-by-step barbacoa making slideshow and read a description after the jump. Warning -- it's not for vegetarians or the faint of stomach.

Continue reading How to Cook a Cow Head in New York City

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]]>barbacoabbqcow headCowHeadelizabeth karmelElizabethKarmelhill countryHillCountryhomesick texanHomesickTexanhow to cook a cow headHowToCookACowHeadkat kinsmanKatKinsmanlisa fainLisaFainrobb walshRobbWalshsmokerKat Kinsman2009-07-27T11:00:00+00:00Cans Across Americahttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/20/cans-across-america/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/20/cans-across-america/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/20/cans-across-america/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Pickles. Photo: Kat Kinsman
There's a canning revolution going on and Kim O'Donnel -- former food writer for the James Beard Award-winning Washington Post -- has brought it to a boil.

Upon tremendous response to her re-Tweet of an Ethicurean post about a canning party in San Francisco and subsequent suggestion that Seattle and other cities follow suit, O'Donnel asked interested home canners to contact her. Thus Cans Across America was born. On the weekend of August 29-30, cities across the nation will host classes, can-a-thons, canning meet-ups and raise awareness of this retro-haute preservation method.

More about the nation's can-do attitude after the jump.

Continue reading Cans Across America

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]]>canningcanning vacationCanningVacationcans across americaCansAcrossAmericakat kinsmanKatKinsmankim odonnelKimOdonnelmarisa mcclellanMarisaMcclellantrue slantTrueSlanttwitterKat Kinsman2009-07-20T17:00:00+00:00Smoked Lemonade and Other Summertime Libationshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/09/smoked-lemonade-and-other-summertime-libations/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/09/smoked-lemonade-and-other-summertime-libations/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/09/smoked-lemonade-and-other-summertime-libations/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


I'm stingy with my smoke.

Not in a "don't bogart that can, man" way. Just that if I'm going to go to all the trouble of stoking a hardwood lump charcoal fire, obsessively monitoring its low-'n-slow-ness for a goodly chunk of the day, feeding its greedy gut with beer-soaked mesquite and hickory chunks at half-hour intervals all for the sake of an albeit fabulous brisket or pork shoulder, I'm gonna want a bit more return on the investment.

Here's where foil pans of salt, cherries and lemons come in.

Continue reading Smoked Lemonade and Other Summertime Libations

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]]>barbecuebbqcocktailsgrilled drinksGrilledDrinksgrillingkat kinsmanKatKinsmanlemonadesmoked cocktailssmoked lemonadeSmokedCocktailsSmokedLemonadesmokerssmokingKat Kinsman2009-06-09T15:00:00+00:00Ritz Mock Apple Piehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/08/ritz-mock-apple-pie/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/08/ritz-mock-apple-pie/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/08/ritz-mock-apple-pie/#commentsFiled under: , ,

ritz mock apple pie
No apples were harmed in the baking of this pie.

Perhaps at some point in the distant past, it was possible for a person under the age of 50 to whip up a mock apple pie, hold the irony. Now in an age wherein slowstainable locaheirganic produce is de rigueur in many circles (not mine, but then again, I pour cherry soda all over unsuspecting hams and eat brains from a can) it seems almost viciously retrograde to dump lemony simple syrup on top of a pile of mushed-up crackers and pass it off as fruit.

So don't do that. Just enjoy it for its bizarrely satisfying damp cracker heft. Use, I dunno, heirloom leaf lard in the crust or send a tithe to Michael Pollan if you feel you need to, but really, this pie is in no need of apology.

Get the Ritz Mock Apple Pie recipe after the jump.


Continue reading Ritz Mock Apple Pie

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]]>back of the boxBackOfTheBoxkat kinsmanKatKinsmanmock apple pieMockApplePiepieritz crackersritz mock apple pieRitzCrackersRitzMockApplePieKat Kinsman2009-05-08T18:00:00+00:0020 Questions with a Slashfoodie - Rebecca Flint Marxhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/07/20-questions-with-a-slashfoodie-rebecca-flint-marx/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/07/20-questions-with-a-slashfoodie-rebecca-flint-marx/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/07/20-questions-with-a-slashfoodie-rebecca-flint-marx/#commentsFiled under: ,


20 questionsDo you have a personal blog?

Sort of. It's in the works. Ask me later.

What is your day job, or rather, what do you do when you're not food blogging?

I write about food for other publications like Time Out New York, Gourmet and Metromix. I've also written for places including The New York Times, Interior Design, ELLE, New York Magazine and Salon. And I was a baker in a past life before attending the French Culinary Institute for formal training.

How long have you been blogging with Slashfood and what is your favorite post?

Less than a month. If we're talking about a favorite post that I've written, I'm partial to my post about cooking an ostrich egg.

Continue reading 20 Questions with a Slashfoodie - Rebecca Flint Marx

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]]>20 Questions20QuestionsOur BloggersOurBloggersRebecca Flint MarxRebeccaFlintMarxRebecca Flint Marx2009-05-07T11:00:00+00:0020 Questions with a Slashfoodie - Alex Van Burenhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/05/20-questions-with-a-slashfoodie-alex-van-buren/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/05/20-questions-with-a-slashfoodie-alex-van-buren/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/05/20-questions-with-a-slashfoodie-alex-van-buren/#commentsFiled under: ,

meWhen new bloggers join the Slashfood team, we like to make sure they get a proper introduction to our readers. Meet the latest addition to our team, blog editor Alex Van Buren.

Do you have a personal blog?

Yes. It's where I post recent articles and scribble about various New York City food discoveries.

What is your day job, or rather, what do you do when you're not food blogging?

I am a full-time food nerd. I'm the new editor of Slashfood, have written for Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living, In Style and Time Out New York and am the co-author of "Clean Plates NYC: The Healthiest, Tastiest Restaurants in Manhattan," which published last week.

How long have you been blogging with Slashfood and what's your favorite post?
Here are my faves from each of our great writers during the month I've been editing here: Cheese. Beer. Julia. Egg creams. Cheap wine. Chickens. Croque monsieur. Ostrich eggs. Greek cuisine. Starter cookbooks. Bread pudding ice cream. And let's not forget the flaming bacon lance of death.

As for me, I loved eating dinner in bubble almost as much I enjoyed seeing more than 700 of our readers defend their favorite "bad" beers.

Continue reading 20 Questions with a Slashfoodie - Alex Van Buren

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]]>alex van burenAlexVanBurenclean plates nycCleanPlatesNycgourmetle pigeonLePigeonmartha stewart livingMarthaStewartLivingtime out new yorkTimeOutNewYorkAlex Van Buren2009-05-05T11:00:00+00:00How Key Is Planning Ahead?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/16/how-key-is-planning-ahead/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/16/how-key-is-planning-ahead/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/16/how-key-is-planning-ahead/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

quiche

Last night on a subway halfway under the East River a quick purse excavation confirmed what we suddenly feared -- a distinct lack of house keys on our person. The day's lunch of leftover Easter ham and homemade challah bread satisfied our epicurean side but was woefully inadequate when it came to blood sugar maintenance -- hence the walking away, the leaving the keys behind and the "aw, crap!"

We panic a tad in moments like this and scramble right to our happy comfort place -- mentally cataloging the contents of our fridge, flipping the pieces this way and that until they interlocked and a picture formed.

The ham, gotta get through the ham. Well it could go with the red cabbage ... no, no ... the scallions. And eggs, oh right! We remembered to buy eggs. Tortilla espanola? Oh wait, got it -- still have that puff pastry left over from the Eccles cakes and that makes ... sacre damn bleu! We've got the makings for a serious quiche -- if we can actually get into the house.

By some strange miracle (we like to think it's The Secret, of course) our beloved husband materialized on the same train car two stops before ours, and in lieu of a civilized "Hi honey, how was your day?" we collapsed into him sighing "We'regonnahavequichetonightpleasedon'targue." Once in the house, we made a beeline for the Julia Child to verify proportions, and got to rolling, chopping, whisking -- grateful not to have to think, just to act. Half an hour later, there was a ridiculously delicious quiche in front of us, without single extra cent or second spent at the grocery store.

Perhaps y'all are more forward-thinking than some of us, but when do you actually decide what's going to be for dinner that night? Do you cook it all up on Sunday, and apportion throughout the week? Do you daydream about what's on hand and pick up any extra ingredients on the way home? Or do you stand in front of the fridge, staring, and make do with what's in front of you?

View Poll




Get the Ham and Gruyere Quiche recipe after the jump.


Continue reading How Key Is Planning Ahead?

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]]>gruyerejulia childJuliaChildkat kinsmanKatKinsmanleftoversmastering the art of french cookingMasteringTheArtOfFrenchCookingpuff pastryPuffPastryquicheKat Kinsman2009-04-16T14:00:00+00:00Slashfood vs. the Volcanohttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/08/slashfood-vs-the-volcano/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/08/slashfood-vs-the-volcano/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/08/slashfood-vs-the-volcano/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



We can't swear to it, but we suspect that this Momofuku Milk Bar Volcano was sent here from Planet Chang either to teach us or to enslave us. We can't be certain of its purpose, but what we do know is that all the breakfast food bravado we've flaunted up to this point -- Brooklyn deli egg and cheese bombs, full-on Irish black and white pudding spreads, Meatnormous(R) BK sammies and half-sow Bellagio Buffet crepes laid waste to in short order -- meant diddly squat as we stood at the Volcano's lip and by God, were afraid.

Chef David Chang's co-conspiritor Christina Tosi works the sweet end of the Momofuku Ssam Bar's East Village space at Milk Bar, turning out scrumdiddilyumtious sun-dense cornflake-chocolate chip cookies, dentist-scoffing Crack Pie and soft-serve cereal milk ice creams by the bucketload. We thought we had her all figured out, and there she had to go tossing out double-dog-dare words like "savory" and "volcano." Dang.

Turns out the steaming, softball-sized item is essentially a knish stuffed to rumbling with potato gratin, Gruyere, Benton's bacon, caramelized onions and a good 20 or so minutes off the average human's lifespan. No worries -- contrary to today's New York Times' $25 and Under assessment, we found its hefty, tangy slather of Mornay sauce to be more than adequate compensation for the latter.

We're not ashamed to admit that we were bested and could not conquer the Volcano in one sitting, or even without assistance from concerned colleagues, but we learned and we grew as people (or perhaps that last part was just our thighs.)

No matter. What we'd like to know is this -- how much can you manage to chow down in the morning? Are you after daybreak fare that sticks to your ribs or does coffee alone keep you fueled until lunchtime? Take the poll, and as always, comment away.

View Poll

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]]>breakfastchristina tosiChristinaTosidavid changDavidChangkat kinsmanKatKinsmanmilk barMilkBarmomofukumomofuku milk barMomofukuMilkBarKat Kinsman2009-04-08T10:30:00+00:00Stained Cookbookshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/30/stained-cookbooks/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/30/stained-cookbooks/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/30/stained-cookbooks/#commentsFiled under: ,

I'm not gonna lie -- I'm rough on my books. There's a school of thought treating the physical manifestation of the written word as a sacred object, and I fully respect that. However I, for one, shove an old copy of "How to Cook a Wolf" into the bottom of my bag with the notion that at some point it'll sustain me on an overextended subway ride. I read "The Devil in the Kitchen" in the bathtub, A.J. Liebling over a lunchtime reuben, and good gosh a-mighty are my cookbooks covered in schmutz.

But hey, it's thematic goo; "Molto Italiano" is spattered in tomato sauce, "Pie" -- seen above -- is all a-smear in lard, "Charleston Receipts" in Otranto Club Punch and "Staff Meals from Chanterelle" slicked with a fine mist of rendered rind bacon. To my mind, these books are being honored, used, proven. Should these books at some point have a subsequent owner, they'll know what's been tested, made and made again.

Still, am I dishonoring the object or the authors when I'm getting the books all mucky? I posed the question to Matthew Lee (whose book "The Lee Bros. Southern Cooking" I've doused in all manner of pickling brine), and he noted that he and his co-author, his brother Ted have debated pre-mucking-up copies of their book to nix the blank canvas factor. The recipes therein are warm of heart and humble of origin, so it's not out of character, but would, say, a gellan-gumming of Grant Achatz's "Alinea" be a crime against the rather expensive and exceptionally lovely object?

Do you keep your cookbooks in pristine condition, or do you just accept page stains as collateral damage?

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]]>cookbookcookbooksfeaturedkat kinsmanKatKinsmanold cookbooksOldCookbooksretro cookeryRetroCookeryvintage cookbookVintageCookbookKat Kinsman2009-03-30T17:00:00+00:00Biscuit Mission '09 - A Progress Reporthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/18/biscuit-mission-09-a-progress-report/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/18/biscuit-mission-09-a-progress-report/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/18/biscuit-mission-09-a-progress-report/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Two and a half months in, I can see through the Biscuit Matrix.

When I embarked upon my trawl toward biscuit perfection at the dawn of aught-nine, it was from a flat, sad, bitter place, indeed. Rather than crispy-footed, larded puffs of sweetly steaming layers reaching -- straining ever heavenward, my oven yielded depressing, molar-cracking pucks I refused to inflict upon my entirely un-picky dogs. Now my biscuits rock, and I'm pretty sure it's a matter of methodology rather than recipe.

Here's what I've learned after a couple dozen batches, and plenty of advice from Slashfood commenters, Facebook friends, cookbooks and Southern grandmas:

- Store the flour in the freezer, and sift it before measuring, even if it says "pre-sifted" on the bag. This has a direct effect upon the density. An overall low temperature keeps fat from heating, so use every opportunity to bring the chill. 3 1/2 - 4 cups of flour scooped straight from the bag can yield 5 cups after sifting. It makes a significant difference. Thus far, Southern Biscuit Self-Rising and White Lily All-Purpose have been very good to me.

- Whisk dry ingredients together, rather than stirring, in order to maintain airiness.

- Don't skimp on the salt, and even if it's not called for in the recipe, toss in a pinch of sugar to aid with a crunchy crust.

Continue reading Biscuit Mission '09 - A Progress Report

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]]>biscuit missionbiscuit recipeBiscuitMissionBiscuitRecipebiscuitsfeaturedkat kinsmanKatKinsmanKat Kinsman2009-03-18T12:30:00+00:00Interview with Marco Pierre Whitehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/12/interview-with-marco-pierre-white-host-of-the-chopping-block/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/12/interview-with-marco-pierre-white-host-of-the-chopping-block/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/12/interview-with-marco-pierre-white-host-of-the-chopping-block/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Legendary chef Marco Pierre White was kind enough to share some time with Slashfood earlier this week. Grab a little taste here, and read the complete interview at AOL Food. His new show, The Chopping Block, airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.

Watch more Marco Pierre White for AOL Food videos on AOL Video

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]]>gordon ramsayGordonRamsayhells kitchenHellsKitchenkat kinsmanKatKinsmanmarco pierre whiteMarcoPierreWhitethe chopping blockTheChoppingBlockKat Kinsman2009-03-12T16:30:00+00:00Culinary Degradation, Part III - Deep Fried Horrorshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/culinary-degradation-part-iii-deep-fried-horrors/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/culinary-degradation-part-iii-deep-fried-horrors/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/culinary-degradation-part-iii-deep-fried-horrors/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post in which I tried to touch bottom in the pantheon of disturbing cuisine. While I stopped short of nightmarishly horrifying food, like rotten cheese and duck embryos, I explored what I imagined were the worst fried foods imaginable.

In retrospect, I was incredibly naive.

At the end of the post, I asked my readers to submit their own choices for worst possible food, promising to do a little more research and write longer pieces about them. I got a fair bit of responses, which led to a fun post about beer floats. However, Guinness and vanilla ice cream only represented the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and it seemed inevitable that I would return to further explore the wonders that make up the culinary wasteland.

Many of my readers shared tales about their favorite fried food joints. Museum Mouse, for example, turned me on to the joys of Scottish fried cuisine. Having had my fair share of haggis and cock-a-leekie soup, I thought that I had experienced everything that Scotland had to offer. I was wrong. For example, one popular treat is the Stonner, which is basically a sausage wrapped in gyro meat, battered, and deep fried. In Scotland, "stonner" is a euphemism for an erection, which seems ironic, given that coronary occlusions can lead to impotence. Still, I guess we all find our excitement in different places...

Continue reading Culinary Degradation, Part III - Deep Fried Horrors

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]]>deep friedDeepFriedFried dessertsFried Pizzafried sausageFriedDessertsFriedPizzaFriedSausagestonnerBruce Watson2009-03-03T11:30:00+00:00Fried Bologna - The West Virginia State Sandwichhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/25/fried-bologna-the-west-virginia-state-sandwich/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/25/fried-bologna-the-west-virginia-state-sandwich/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/25/fried-bologna-the-west-virginia-state-sandwich/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

In a recent marketing campaign, Oscar Meyer proclaimed that its "Deli Creations" flatbread sandwiches were "blogworthy."

I beg to differ.

Nobody likes to be manipulated, and I would argue that bloggers like it less than most. There's something about spending a few lonesome hours a day cranking out content that really ups the curmudgeon quotient and makes us a mite persnickety about our production process. While other blogs, including Gawker, might not be too picky about where they get their tips, I tend to get mighty cranky when multimillion dollar corporations tell me what is and is not blogworthy.

With that in mind, here's something that really is blogworthy: fried bologna sandwiches. For anybody who hasn't tried this backwoods delicacy, the concept may sound a little questionable. However, the combination of bologna and heat produces a dish that is incredibly delicious and startlingly different from a basic bologna sandwich.

Continue reading Fried Bologna - The West Virginia State Sandwich

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]]>featuredFried Bologna sandwichFriedBolognaSandwichOscar Meyer deli creationsOscarMeyerDeliCreationsWest VirginiaWestVirginiaBruce Watson2009-02-25T11:00:00+00:00Bacon, Bacon Everywhere...And, Oh My Pants Did Shrink!http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/21/bacon-bacon-everywhere-and-oh-my-pants-did-shrink/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/21/bacon-bacon-everywhere-and-oh-my-pants-did-shrink/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/21/bacon-bacon-everywhere-and-oh-my-pants-did-shrink/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

What is the deal with bacon lately?

Admittedly, it's not as if the delicious fruit of a smoked pig's belly was ever all that obscure; stlll, over the past few weeks, it has been gaining a fresh, and sometimes repulsive cultural relevance. A little over a month ago, Marisa McClellan covered The Bacon Explosion, a spicy, smoked, barbecue-basted brick of pure pork. Truth be told, the explosion is kind of like a bug zapper: terrifying and vaguely dangerous, yet attractive and deeply compelling. Worse yet, for those of us who don't have a meat smoker, the explosion's creators have put together an oven recipe.

As if this wasn't enough, over on RiffTrax Blog, Michael Nelson has announced his intention to eat nothing but bacon for an entire month. As he has struggled through February, a reader has produced a bacon effigy, dubbed FrankenBacon, to demonstrate the aftereffects of too much pork. For those of us who are sometimes haunted by the ghosts of our meat, FrankenBacon is actually a little scary.

Meanwhile, in my constant quest for the best boutique bonbons in New York City, I recently came across an article about Roni-Sue's Chocolates, a company in New York's Essex Street Market. Although Roni-Sue's carries a wide array of truffles and candies, I was immediately drawn to their pig candy. Basically crispy-fried bacon dipped in chocolate, this hearkens back to the sugar-crusted pig candy that my wife and I used to make.

Meanwhile, I'm getting that old carnival feeling--the same one I have when the halcyon call of the deep fryer draws me in with its promise of batter-fried Oreos and funnel cakes. Must...resist...the call...

Who am I kidding? I'll probably hit Roni-Sue's this weekend. On the bright side, maybe it will make it easier for me to resist the siren song of the Bacon Explosion!
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]]>bacon chocolateBacon explosionBaconChocolateBaconExplosionFrankenBaconPig candyPigCandyRoni-Sues chocolatesRoni-suesChocolatesBruce Watson2009-02-21T16:00:00+00:00Recession Ramenhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/18/recession-ramen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/18/recession-ramen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/18/recession-ramen/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


For about 3.7 seconds today, I was asking myself if I have, perchance, been spending a tad too much time on Twitter lately. But, seeing as how said dallying then led to a deftly jazzed-up ramen recipe, courtesy of the author of one of my favorite food memoirs of the recent past, I don't see how any of us could afford not to. Kathleen Flinn is no stranger to the tireless, if sometimes penniless, pursuit of the delicious; The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry chronicles her loss of a lucrative corporate lifestyle and subsequent savings investment in a degree program at Le Cordon Bleu. While the the corner shops of Gay Paree may not have been chock-a-block with student budget-friendly ramen bricks, Flinn picked up a flavor trick or ten between puff pastry and boning lessons and shares her method for infusing the noodles with the brightness of miso, green onions, fresh herbs, Sriracha and citrus, as well as other light-wallet recipes.

Clearly, at-home ramen can be a reward rather than a last resort. How are you gussying them up, or are you hooked on the packet? Please share with the rest of the (broke...oh, so painfully broke) class, why don'tcha?

Kathleen Flinn's Quick Miso Ramen with Shrimp, Chicken or Tofu
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]]>frugal foodFrugalFoodkat kinsmankathleen flinnKathleenFlinnKatKinsmanramenramen noodlesRamenNoodlesrecessionrecession dietrecession foodRecessionDietRecessionFoodthe sharper your knifeTheSharperYourKnifetwitterKat Kinsman2009-02-18T12:00:00+00:00Pulled Pork Risottohttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/15/pulled-pork-risotto/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/15/pulled-pork-risotto/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/15/pulled-pork-risotto/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

pulled pork risotto
As much as I adore my job, I tend to get the Sunday evening blues and have found as of late that labor-intensive cooking projects prove to be wonderfully soothing. It might be a bread knead, a painstakingly crimped lard crust pie, or, as it's manifested for the second week in a row, a unexpectedly soul-stirring risotto. Emphasis is on the "stirring" part, I assure you, as two times now, I've darned near sprained a forearm muscle with the non-stop drag of the wooden spoon through the ever-thickening starch. It's worth it, though -- the constant, meditative motion -- when it suddenly, palpably, audibly even, transforms the individual rice grains into a sumptuous, silken mass. It's the sort of culinary alchemy that transforms me from a solitary kitchen wretch into someone who suddenly wants to feed everyone she's ever met.

Last week's Acorn Squash Risotto from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano cookbook was a rousing success with my husband, as evidenced by this habitual leftover-snubber's willingness to dig back in on subsequent weeknights. This week's pulled pork variation, made on a whim, was a hearty treat tonight, and I've got a sneaking suspicion the flavors will meld well over the next few days.

Try for yourself. My Pulled Pork Risotto recipe is after the jump, and if you've got any soothing cooking rituals you'd like to share, I'd be more than grateful to hear about 'em.

Continue reading Pulled Pork Risotto

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]]>comfort foodComfortFoodkat kinsmanKatKinsmanpulled porkpulled pork recipepulled pork risottoPulledPorkPulledPorkRecipePulledPorkRisottorisottoslow cooker recipesslow cookingSlowCookerRecipesSlowCookingKat Kinsman2009-02-15T23:00:00+00:00Exotic Pastries Done Righthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/12/brownie-points-x-rated-cupcakes-exotic-pastries-done-right/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/12/brownie-points-x-rated-cupcakes-exotic-pastries-done-right/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/12/brownie-points-x-rated-cupcakes-exotic-pastries-done-right/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

My wife, who generally avoids anything related to baking, recently showed me a hidden side of her personality. Although she doesn't like to bake, she apparently finds endless joy in the world of bizarre and/or ill-conceived confectionary. Having begun with a mild addiction to Cake Wrecks, she has progressed to ever-more-advanced levels of culinary schadenfreude. And so it is that I now find myself receiving regular e-mails ordering me to check out bizarre food sites.

In a recent e-mail, my wife sent me to a site that features one woman's experiment with risqué cupcakes. Having seen more than my fair share of poorly-executed erotic confectionary, not to mention South Carolina's famous Gaffney Butt water tower, I thought that I had grown jaded. I imagined that nothing could impress me, and that attempts at rendering the nude human form in sugar and frosting were hopeless.

I was wrong.

While I would caution that these cupcakes aren't for everyone, I think that they were very nicely rendered. If you are of an adventurous bent, I strongly advise you to wait until your boss leaves the room, then direct your browser to the Brownie Points website. Enjoy!
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]]>Brownie PointsBrowniePointsCake WrecksCakeWrecksErotic cupcakesEroticCupcakesExotic cupcakesExoticCupcakesGaffney ButtGaffneyButtBruce Watson2009-02-12T16:00:00+00:00Poe Edgar. Poe, Poe Edgar...http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/poe-edgar-poe-poe-edgar/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/poe-edgar-poe-poe-edgar/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/poe-edgar-poe-poe-edgar/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Last week, Edgar Allen Poe celebrated his 200th birthday. After attending the birthday festivities at Poe Cottage, which is located in my area of the Bronx, I thought that the Poe celebrations were over. After all, while the famous author of "Annabelle Lee" and "The Raven" is one of America's greatest writers, he isn't really that much of a cult hero nowadays.

Later, to my delight, I discovered that I wasn't the only one who geeked out at the bicentennial of old Edgar. Dewey's, a pizza chain, unveiled the Poe Pizza and, although I can't figure out what the dish has to do with Poe, I have to admit that it does sound good. Even better, Cake Wrecks put up a couple of truly fantastic Poe-themed confections . While the Tell-Tale Heart cake is fairly cool, the Nevermore cake sent me over the moon. Call me sick, but the image of a dead raven on a dessert plate brings a BIG smile to my face. For that matter, most of the other creations at Wild Cakes are amazing!
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]]>Annabelle LeeAnnabelleLeeDead CrowDeadCrowDeweysEdgar Allen PoeEdgarAllenPoeNevermorePoe CottagePoeCottageTell-Tale HeartTell-taleHeartThe RavenTheRavenWild CakesWildCakesBruce Watson2009-01-23T10:00:00+00:00Inaugural Cocktailshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/20/inaugural-cocktails/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/20/inaugural-cocktails/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/20/inaugural-cocktails/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

What's that sound? Corks a-popping from shore to shore? No doubt bubbly was the beverage du jour for many folks, but mixologists both pro and amateur took it upon themselves to create signature beverages for the election and inauguration of our 44th President. When tasked with that for a friend's bash, I put some thought into the national origins of each element, so that they might match those of our new Commander-In-Chief. With a bit of tinkering, a new and semi-perfect union was formed -- The Barry O.

The Barry-O

Equal parts cocoa powder and sugar
1 1/2 oz Amarula
1 oz bourbon
1/4 oz Kona coffee liqueur (I like Trader Vic's)

Dampen the edge of a cocktail glass, and roll in a blend of equal parts sugar and cocoa powder.

Shake Amarula, bourbon and coffee liqueur with ice to blend and strain into the prepared glass.

Note: Amarula is an African cream liqueur made from the fruit of the Marula tree. Bourbon is a distinctively American whiskey, named for, and largely produced in Kentucky's Bourbon County. Coffee designated as Kona can only come from the Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Africa, America & Hawaii - all with a li'l dash of chocolate.


So - whatcha sip to celebrate (or drown your sorrows) this historic night? Share it in the comments.
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]]>barack obamaBarackObamacocktail recipesCocktailRecipescocktailsinaugurationinauguration dayInaugurationDaykat kinsmanKatKinsmanpresidential inaugurationPresidentialInaugurationtrail mixTrailMixKat Kinsman2009-01-20T23:00:00+00:00